Only two players are in the fray for an interstate transmission system (ISTS) scheme in Odisha, under the tariff-based competitive bidding (TBCB) modality.
It is reliably learnt that Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) and Tata Power have been qualified for opening of initial price bids for an ISTS-TBCB scheme known as “Eastern Region Generation Scheme – I” or “ERGS-I”.
Taking shape in Odisha, this is a relatively small project with an estimated cost of Rs.413 crore (as estimated by National Committee on Transmission, NCT) and with a scheduled completion date of May 2027.
The project has been incorporated under “Angul Sundargarh Transmission Ltd,” currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of bid process coordinator PFC Consulting Ltd.
The project will involve setting up the LILO (loop-in, loop-out) of both circuits of the existing 765kV 2xsingle-circuit lines at the Talabira generation switchyard of NLC India Ltd. The loop-in and loop-out will run around 25 km, each.
The objective of the scheme is to provide ISTS connectivity of 2,000 MW to NLC India for its upcoming Talabira thermal power project (Phase-I) envisaging three coal-fired supercritical units of 800 MW each. It may be recalled that in January 2024, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) was awarded the EPC mandate, worth over Rs.15,000 crore, for this power project.
Tata Power
For Tata Power, the ERGS-I scheme could potentially strengthen the company’s presence in Odisha. Tata Power currently has a portfolio of three greenfield ISTS-TBCB schemes of which two – Paradeep Transmission Ltd and ERES-XXXIX Power Transmission Ltd — are located in Odisha. The private utility also manages power distribution in the entire state of Odisha, under the public-private partnership (PPP) model.
Featured photograph (source: Tata Power) is for representation only.
